Slovenia- Just Add Izola, & Watch Her Jump In
Seven minutes, that is how long it took after checking into our hotel in Piran before Izola jumped into the Adriatic. She saw the water. She jumped.
If you know our seven year old, none of this is surprising. Izola has a certain “hold my beer” approach to life. Water is meant to be jumped into. Trails are meant to be followed. Rocks are meant to be climbed, and soccer balls are meant to be kicked, preferably through centuries old European town squares. Slovenia is the perfect country for a kid like her.
Izola is named after the little Slovenian fishing village just up the coast from Piran. Emily and I have loved this country for years. This time, we had 12 days to jump into Slovenia.
Piran came first and for three days, we swam in the Adriatic, wandered narrow stone streets and settled into the wonderfully simple rhythm of a Slovenian coastal town. Izola led the way by doing what kids do better than adults. She did not need to know what was next. Whatever was in front of her was enough.
Then we went to Ljubljana, and while Emily and I saw cafés, bridges, architecture and one of Europe's coolest little capitals, Izola saw soccer fields.
Apparently, every beautiful town square in Ljubljana is improved by kicking a ball across it. So that is what we did. We explored the city without much of an agenda, following the river, crossing bridges, eating, playing and discovering. Ljubljana is effortlessly cool
In Bled we stayed in a tree house, which pretty much settled the matter before we even arrived.
We hiked through gorges, swam in waterfalls, explored ponds and jumped into Lake Bled. Izola managed to find just about every available form of water and determine how she could get into it. Bled is almost unfairly beautiful. The lake, the island, the castle and the mountains behind it all look like someone designed the place for a movie and got carried away.
By the time we reached Bovec and the Soča Valley, the scenery became bigger. We stayed in a mountain cabin and went whitewater rafting down the impossibly turquoise Soča River. We hiked trails to waterfalls. We climbed, explored and kept finding reasons to get wet.
And then, occasionally, we stopped. Every afternoon we sat on the porch of our cabin and watched storm clouds roll across the mountains. Peaks disappeared, then slowly came back into view. Nobody needed to go anywhere.
That is the strange gift of traveling with a kid who rarely stops moving. Eventually, even she reminds you when it is worth sitting still.
Ted’s Top 5 Things He Learned:
If you jump off the pier in Piran 50+ times a day for three days straight, your kid will eat an entire bowl of truffle pasta and sleep for 10 hours a night. (Thank you pier!)
A Soccer ball is the best language translator possible. Izola encountered kids and adults from 12 different countries and the games in the squares broke down all barriers.
Bring extra kid clothes with you everywhere in Slovenia. The water is so inviting your kids will want to jump in every river, sea, and waterfall. You should just let them.
Younger kids are able to whitewater raft the rivers in Slovenia. The tour groups make it very safe, enjoyable and challenging. With breaks along the way to jump off rocks.
If you’re tired and content on your flight home but your wife leans over and says ‘let’s go back to Slovenia in two years for my birthday”,... you award her brilliance.
Twelve days. Four very different versions of one country. And Izola approached each one pretty much the same way. Slovenia lets you choose your own pace. Wander. Climb. Swim. Explore. Or just sit on a porch and watch the clouds roll over the mountains.
Seven minutes after we arrived Izola had already figured out her pace. She jumped in, and we spent the next 12 days trying to keep up.
Trip Quote:
“I’m kinda cold now dad”- Iza soaking wet on the Lake Bled shore.
“Well honey, you jumped into the lake with your clothes on right after dinner.”- Dad
“Can I just swim in the lake and you go back and get me some dry clothes?”- Izola
“Um,... no.”- Dad
